Terri Friedline

Terri Friedline, a University of Michigan School of Social Work associate professor, studies U.S. financial systems and serves as a research fellow with New America’s Family-Centered Social Policy program. She is a member of the Scholars Strategy Network.

On Thursday Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey unveiled their highly anticipated Green New Deal. Conceived originally by the Sunrise Movement , this ambitious piece of legislation envisions a monumental shift in the U.S. economy to stave off the effects of climate change. While some within the Democratic Party are already casting doubt on such widespread reform, this proposal gives progressives a real chance to combine their desire for financial reform and social justice with the need to address the Earth’s rapidly warming climate. The Green New Deal calls for massively restructuring the economy to prioritize caring for the planet by investing in renewable power sources and energy efficiency. In just a few short decades , climate change will render our planet unrecognizable as extreme weather worsens , sea waters rise , food sources are threatened , and people migrate away from their ancestral lands . Poverty and racism force black and brown...